This series profiles the work happening in our amazing community, one member at a time. Dan Schiff is the president of the Net Impact Washington, D.C. professional chapter and is a former journalist who made the leap into the social sector. Now the global project manager for the Ashoka Support Network, Dan's sharing his story here (and some great advice).
What's your net impact?
My net impact is helping to bridge the vision and passion of the social sector with the resources and expertise of the business world. My colleagues and I connect Ashoka Fellows—leading social entrepreneurs with system-changing ideas—to the business leaders who make up the Ashoka Support Network. Both sides collaborate to realize new types of impactful hybrid organizations and financial opportunities. Similarly, as a leader of the D.C. Net Impact professional chapter, I try to connect people and organizations through compelling programming and networking opportunities. D.C. is branching out and becoming an exciting place for social sector initiatives and start-ups, and it’s a thrill to be able to showcase everything going on here.
What's your best advice for someone who wants to create positive change in your field?
The best advice I’ve heard about creating positive change in your field comes from Aaron Hurst, founder of the Taproot Foundation. Aaron reminds us that we can still do good without working in an organization or position with the word “sustainability” or “impact” in the name. Find ways to have incremental impact: reduce the carbon footprint of your office, act more empathetically toward colleagues and clients, volunteer for pro bono projects. If you feel genuinely trapped in your job, start attending meetings you weren’t invited to and gradually become an expert in something more aligned with your interests. We have to transform business as usual from the inside out, and these types of small acts can gradually shape more impactful companies and organizations.
What do you love about your work?
What I most love about my work are the people—both Ashoka staff and Ashoka Fellows. Ashoka was founded on the idea that, to change the world for the better, we need entrepreneurs who are willing to radically challenge the status quo of how we live and work. These people are finding new efficiencies and innovative solutions to challenges in healthcare, education, the environment, government, nutrition and many other fields. That I have regular opportunities at the Ashoka office to have lunch with someone who is implementing a revolutionary response to deforestation or diabetes or childhood bullying—that’s a perk of the job that never gets old, and it grounds me in the work I do every day.
What's the biggest challenge in your work? How do you overcome it?
Unlike successful social entrepreneurs, I’m not nearly single-minded or focused enough to lead a significant social/environmental initiative. But I’m proud of the work I’ve done in collaboration with social entrepreneurs, to help facilitate connections and share their stories. With Net Impact, our board organized a successful dinner event to showcase the work of two great D.C.-area social enterprises: Waveborn and Reef
What’s the most inspiring book you’ve read -- and why has it stayed with you?
I read two especially inspiring books in 2014: The Food Fighters: DC Central Kitchen’s First Twenty-Five Years on the Front Lines of Hunger and Poverty, by Alexander Justice Moore; and Ice Cream Social: The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry’s, by Brad Edmondson. One tells the story of a gritty nonprofit that has evolved into one of D.C.’s most dynamic and impactful social enterprises, while the other is about one of the world’s most iconic ice cream brands and socially responsible companies. Both books share plenty of details about idealistic beginnings giving way to messy transitions and compromises as the organizations grew. But ultimately, both DC Central Kitchen and Ben & Jerry’s have survived and retained their values through the determination and stewardship of a core group of leaders. If consumer products companies or social organizations are to scale up their impactful work, they need the passion and priorities of those champions to be baked in, or else the mission will fall by the wayside.
Tell us about your career journey.
I spent five years as a journalist covering consumer healthcare regulatory news. In 2013, I received my MBA from American University and took a leap into the social sector, after realizing I needed to take a risk to find something that I truly enjoyed. I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to make the change, and I’m starting to see many others in my generation branching out into their own new career paths. But even for those with more traditional jobs in government agencies or large companies, there are always plenty of opportunities to make incremental impact in your organizations and communities. As always, joining your local Net Impact chapter is a great place to start.
You can connect with Dan on LinkedIn.
How about you? What's your net impact? Do you have a story to tell? Advice to share? Reach out.
